Why Hufflepuff?
by Fantasy Kadence
Summary: Little 11 year old Jackson is quite positive he'll be in Slytherin. Both of his parents were, and he's done research on the great Salazar Slytherin himself. But when it comes time for Sorting, he gets a surprise that changes the fate of his next 7 years at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.


_I_ _'_ _ll be in Slytherin. I just know it. I_ _'_ _m perfect for that House, anyway. I_ _'_ _m witty and good at potions. Or at least, I_ _'_ _m sure I will be. Why wouldn_ _'_ _t I be? It_ _'_ _s not like it will be hard. Just mixing a few ingredients, that_ _'_ _s all._

 _Wow, this hall is so beautiful. I wonder what spell that used to get the candles to float like that. And the ceiling! It doesn_ _'_ _t even look like there is one. Is there? There must be._

 _Woah! Is that a ghost? And_ _…_ _silver blood? I_ _'_ _ll bet that_ _'_ _s the Bloody Baron that I read about in dad_ _'_ _s old book. He_ _'_ _s been around for a long time. Oh, and he_ _'_ _ll be my House ghost! I_ _'_ _m so excited, I can hardly wait! I wonder who my Housemates will be. Hopefully not her. She looks stuck up. She_ _'_ _s not even pretty, and honestly how many times does she need to mention that she_ _'_ _s a Pureblood? I am too, but I_ _'_ _m not about to throw it in people_ _'_ _s faces._

 _So that_ _'_ _s the Headmaster, then. His beard is really long. I wonder if he brushes it. Or maybe there_ _'_ _s a spell for it! I wish my parents used magic more, then I might know some spells ahead of time._

 _Wait, we go up one at a time? Mum and dad didn_ _'_ _t say that. I have to be Sorted in front of everyone? Well, I mean, what am I worried about? I_ _'_ _m going to be in Slytherin. Slytherin_ _'_ _s are fearless. Or at least they seem to be. Mum and dad are. I am. I think._

 _This is taking such a long time. I wish I could just go up already._

 _Finally, it only took forever. Okay, I_ _'_ _m ready. Tell me I_ _'_ _m in Slytherin! Wow, this hat stinks. It_ _'_ _s probably centuries old._

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

 _What? No! Why_ _–_ _how_ _…_ _I don_ _'_ _t understand! This is a mistake! I can_ _'_ _t be_ _…_ _a Hufflepuff..?_

 _Why did this happen to me? I_ _'_ _m brave! I_ _'_ _m smart! I could have been in any of the other Houses! Why the stupid one? Hufflepuff_ _'_ _s are boring, stupid, needy people. I_ _'_ _m none of those things. This is so unfair. I should be in Slytherin_ _…_

"Welcome to Hufflepuff!"

 _Stupid Hufflepuff_ _…_ _Urgh, get off me. I don_ _'_ _t need a hug_ _…_ _I need you to disappear_ _…_

"We're glad to have you in the House! You're going to have a blast!"

 _"_ _Right_ _…"_

 _They_ _'_ _re wrong. This is the worst thing in the world. I have to spend the next seven years of my life in the reject House. Maybe I can request a change. Maybe if I prove to the Professor_ _'_ _s that I was Sorted wrong, they_ _'_ _ll let me switch! Has that ever happened? I_ _'_ _m sure it has. But I didn_ _'_ _t hear of anything like it in dad_ _'_ _s book_ _…_

 _No, this was definitely a mistake. I_ _'_ _m meant to be somewhere else._

"So you're Jackson, eh?"

 _Well duh, isn_ _'_ _t that what the tall witch said?_

 _"_ _Yeah._ _"_

 _Maybe if I don_ _'_ _t make eye contact he won_ _'_ _t talk to me anymore. I just want to be left alone. This is so unfair_ _…_

"I'm Erick. This is all exciting. I come from a muggle home. All this is new to me."

 _Well congratulations, Erick. Not_ _everyone here has the privilege of being stupid enough to be happy just to be a wizard._

 _That was mean. I shouldn_ _'_ _t have thought that._

 _"_ _Sorry_ _…"_

"For what?"

 _"_ _Nothing. Never mind._ _"_

"Welcome all of you. With the new additions to the Houses, may the feast begin!"

 _He sure has a loud voice. He looks so old. I wonder exactly how old he is. Maybe like 300. Is that even possible? Probably for a wizard_ _…_ _Could I get that old?_

"That's Dumbledore, the Headmaster. I met some really nice people in Diagon Alley that told me all about Hogwarts. He's supposed to be really powerful and wise, and even kind of funny. I hope I'll get to talk with him some time."

 _He talks so much. What am I supposed to say? I_ _'_ _ve been in a wizard home all my life, so I really can_ _'_ _t relate._

 _Finally something to shut this kid up. He really can stuff his face, can_ _'_ _t he? Is that a Treacle Tart? And the gravy_ _…_ _It all smells so delicious, where do I even start? Okay bread, potatoes, Treacle Tart, oh maybe an apple. And pork. So much pork._

 _This is the best food I_ _'_ _ve ever had! I can_ _'_ _t believe something could taste so good. Okay, maybe mum_ _'_ _s Apple Pie, but nothing else. I wonder if we eat like this every night! I_ _'_ _ll probably get so fat by the end of the year. Oh well, I don_ _'_ _t care. It_ _'_ _s so good, it_ _'_ _s worth it._

"So Jackson, what class are you looking forward to the most?"

 _Why is this older student talking to me? Isn_ _'_ _t he supposed to be at the other end of the table? It looks like a lot of the sixth and seventh years are sitting with us first years._ _And well_ _…_ _I hadn_ _'_ _t really thought about it._

 _"_ _Potions probably._ _"_

"Yeah, Potions is a good one. Just look out for Professor Snape. He might give you a hard time, but he's really not as bad as all the Gryffindors think."

 _Right now I_ _'_ _m really wishing I could be a Gryffindor. Or Slytherin. Just not a Hufflepuff._

"My name is Maverick, and this is Avery, one of the House Prefects. If you want to get into some trouble, answer to me. If you get caught getting into trouble, answer to him."

 _Well he_ _'_ _s not nearly as annoying as Erick. But he_ _'_ _s older, so that could be why. I wonder how he got through so many years as a Hufflepuff. Maybe some people just don_ _'_ _t care. I just don_ _'_ _t want to be known for_ _'_ _loyalty_ _'_ _or whatever. bravery, cunning_ _and wisdom are so much better._

 _"_ _I_ _'_ _ll keep that in mind._ _"_

 _I_ _'_ _m so stuffed. I want to keep eating but I don_ _'_ _t think I could swallow one more bite. How is Erick still_ _eating? And he_ _'_ _s not even fat! We_ _'_ _re the same size. He must have a good metabolism._

"I can't wait to see our common room. I'm sure it's decorated with our House colors. Yellow and black!"

 _Here he goes again. No one cares about the House colors. They_ _'_ _re horrible colors anyway. I don_ _'_ _t look good in yellow, no one does. We_ _'_ _ll all look like bees for Quidditch matches. Yellow and black.. Hmph_ _…_


End file.
